Please note -- Whilst all care has been
taken in preparing and maintaining the FAQ's about Papua New Guinea it
is not possible to be able verify every answer. The information is provided
'as is' and I can not accept responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience
sustained by anyone resulting from the use of this information.

Please verify the information for yourself
from a government source, travel agent or other similar organisation.

This database does not contain information about other countries. - It
is only about Papua New Guinea (PNG).

PNG is located in an active seismic zone and regular volcanic eruptions occur, particularly around Rabaul, Bougainville, West New Britain and the Manam Islands. In the event of a natural disaster local authorities will provide advice although it may take a while to filter through to you.

The Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) can be contacted on PNG telephone +675 325 5540. It also pays to register with your local embassy or high commission before attempting the walk. A full check up and written report by your doctor may be required as well.

umm - not sure if there is a facsimile machine that works at Dogura (mainland Milne Bay). Not sure if the GenSet still works!.The phone number for Holy Name High School (HNHS) (in Milne Bay Province) is +675 641 1543 but no guarantees that it will work!

The same way you do from a fixed line telephone service.
Use the International access number - Telstra 0011 then the PNG country code - 675 -- then the telephone number. PNG does not have any STD codes.Of course this assumes your mobile telephone provider has given you overseas access.

Is Telstra, Optus, Virgin, Vodafone, Three, Orange or any other overseas telephone company represented in PNG?

No and there are only limited global roaming agreements with the local telcommunication provider Telikom PNG- The only two that I am aware of are Post Paid Telstra and Optus SIM's. These should allow global roaming while in PNG. New companies Digicel and Green Comunications (Greencom) also have some agreements with other telephone companies outside PNG.

Oh arise all you sons of this land
Let us sing of our joy to be free
Praising God and rejoicing to be
Papua New Guinea
Shout our names from the mountains to the seas
Papua New Guinea
Let us raise our voices and proclaim
Papua New Guinea

Give thanks to the good Lord above
For His kindness, his mercy and love
For this land of our fathers is free
Papua New Guinea
Shout again for the whole world to hear
Papua New Guinea
We're independent and free
Papua New Guinea

Susan Karike (Now Mrs Huhume) then a seventeen-year-old attending Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School on Yule Island designed the National PNG Flag in 1972. The flag was officially raised at Independence Hill on the 16th of September 1975.

The Papua New Guinea flag was adopted on July 1, 1971 and Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia on September 16, 1975.Interesting Papua New Guinea Flag Facts:The proportions of 3:4 make the Papua New Guinea flag almost square in shape.A competition was held to design a flag for PNG in 1971. The government approved a design submitted by local 15-year-old student, Susan Karike. It became the national flag upon Papua New Guinea's independence.

Black, red and yellow are traditional colors which are found in Papua New Guinean art and clothing.The yellow bird, a stylised bird of paradise, is culturally significant to Papua New Guineans and in full flight it represents freedom and the country's birth as an independent nation.The five stars symbolise the constellation the Southern Cross, representing the stars Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon, which is smaller because it doesn't shine as brightly as the other stars. The Southern Cross represents the country's geographical position in the world and its link to Australia, which also incorporates the Southern Cross on its flag.

A picture is worth a thousand words -- please have a look at all of the flags of PNG on the Flags of the World website located at -- http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/pg.html (Not just the one designed by Susan Karike)

Yes, there is a systemn of 3 digit numbers used by the post office. It is not widely publicised.For example - Boroko is 111, Alotau is 211, Lae is 411 ... For a list visit the old faithful website of PNGBD -- http://www.pngbd.com/postcodes.php.

You will need a valid passport and preferably a tourist visa stamped in your passport prior to departure from your country. br>A 60-day Tourist Visa is available on arrival in Port Moresby at a fee. It is cheaper to obtain a visa before you enter the country. You will need travel documents, sufficient funds for your stay in the country and airline ticket with confirmed outbound (return) flights before expiry date of your Visa. As some restrictions apply to several Asian, Eastern European and African countries, please check with the nearest Papua New Guinea Mission or the nearest Australian mission, before traveling to the country.http://www.pngcanberra.org/visas/index.htm

Whilst not compulsory it is highly recommended to purchase travel insurance along with your tickets to PNG or any other overseas country.Medical treatment especially emergency evacuation from PNG to an overseas country is VERY expensive

The currency for PNG is the Kina (keena). It is suggested that you convert some money to Kina either in the country you leave from to get to PNG or upon arrival in Port Moresby. The Kina is divided into 100 and each unit is called a toea (toya). Credit cards (Mastercard, Visa and American Express) are accepted in most major towns.

Do major hotels in Port Moresby have courtesy bus services to and from the Airport?

Yes - Major hotels have courtesy buses that operate shuttle services to and from Jackson's airport at regular intervals. Some operate on an ad hoc basis while others have a scheduled service to and from the airport.

Do I need to take any medication or vaccination before travelling to PNG?

Yes it is highly recommended that anti-malarial medication be taken two weeks prior to arrival, during your stay in PNG, and four weeks after departure. Use insect repellent and wear long sleeved shirts, trousers and shoes in the evening. Dentists, doctors and hospitals are in all major centres. Rural areas have health centres and aid posts staffed by trained health workers.

The traditional weapons of war in the Highlands - bows, arrows and spears - are no longer much of a worry to the police. Guns are today's symbol of power in PNG and gun making is a profitable village industry.

Is The RPNGC considered to be an "Armed Force"? I know that some police officers do carry side arms and other sections use military style weapons.

Interesting question. Here is the answer I received from Ian Brooks

RPNGC is considered as a Disciplined Force rather than an armed force. This was attested to by Pope John who was willing to inspect the Police Band during his visits as they were not associated with an "armed force", the Pope will not inspect a guard of honor provided by an armed force. Under the constitution the PNGDF holds the responsibility for national defence whilst RPNGC has responsibility for law and order. The mobile squads whilst para military in make up are not military or army units.

Solomon Islands is a rather unique setup as they do not have a military and therefore the Police fulfill the national defence role.

Black, red and yellow are traditional colors which are found in Papua New Guinean art and clothing. The yellow bird, a stylized bird of paradise, is culturally significant to Papua New Guineans and in full flight it represents freedom and the country's birth as an independent nation. The five stars symbolize the constellation the Southern Cross, representing the stars Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon, which is smaller because it doesn't shine as brightly as the other stars. The Southern Cross represents the country's geographical position in the world and its link to Australia, which also incorporates the Southern Cross on its flag.

The flag of PNG consists of two diagonal triangular sections - the left section is black and the right section is red. Five, five-pointed, white stars representing the Southern Cross are in the black portion of the flag; while a yellow bird of paradise is in the red section.

Rainfall varies tremendously - Port Moresby may experience an annual rainfall of 39 inches while Lae has over 176 inches. In some areas, such as West New Britain, annual rainfall can exceed 20 feet per year.

What kind of clothing is suitable for travel in PNG? And are there any dress standards that I should be aware of?

Casual wear is acceptable for most occasions except that slippers and shorts are not accepted dress in some bars and restaurants. L ightweight clothing is suitable for the coastal areas but a sweater or jacket may be needed in the cooler Highland areas.Skimpy clothing is not recommended.

Please note that this is not "Ask Jeeves" -
you cannot type a whole sentence as your query. Enter a single word,
a phrase, or several words and press search.

Please remember that this is a FAQ database about Papua New Guinea.

Doing a search for PNG or New Guinea or even P.N.G will probably not return
much. Keep the search simple. i.e. if you want to find out the population
simply enter "population" without the quotes. There is no need to have
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Also - Spelling is important
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Lady Carol Kidu just enter Carol Kidu or even Kidu. You are not searching the WWW only
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